GDOT photo
The new construction will include the installation of reduced conflict U-turns (RCUTs) at various intersections and raised medians along the highway.
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The largest section of a widening project along Georgia Highway 20 north of the Atlanta metro area will soon be getting under way, the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) announced.
The state agency awarded Marietta, Ga.'s C.W. Matthews Contracting Co. Inc. a $104 million contract to widen the roadway from Ga. 369 in Cherokee County to Post Road in Forsyth County. It is currently the largest active contract for road projects in northwest Georgia, GDOT noted in a news release.
This portion of the east-west Ga. 20 project runs approximately 6 mi. and will undergo an expansion to three lanes in each direction. Two phases in Cherokee County that stretch from Interstate 575 to Union Hill Road are nearly complete, while the Forsyth County phase from Post Road to North Corners Parkway is under construction with a current completion date set for the summer of 2028.
The new construction will include the installation of reduced conflict U-turns (RCUTs) at various intersections and raised medians along the highway. That work is expected to get under way in the coming months and is slated to be finished in November 2028, according to the transportation department.
RCUTs are proven to enhance safety by directing side-street traffic to make right turns followed by U-turns at designated locations. This configuration reduces the likelihood of angle and head-on collisions, which are typically the most severe.
"This next phase represents about a quarter of the entire project," said GDOT District 6 Engineer Grant Waldrop. "We appreciate the public's patience during the construction and we look forward to the smoother traffic flow once it's all complete."
Jackson County Intersection Undergoing Safety Improvement
Further to the east in Jackson County, GDOT has officially begun construction on another safety-focused project at the intersection of U.S. 441 and Ga. 326/Old Carnesville Road in the town of Commerce.
It, too, includes building an RCUT along the roadway to improve traffic flow and reduce crash severity.
Construction began March 4, 2025, and is slated to be finished by the end of July 2025, weather permitting.
The junction of U.S. 441 and Old Carnesville Road has been identified as a high-risk location with a history of severe vehicle crashes. By implementing the RCUT design, GDOT aims to significantly reduce the number of conflict points and eliminate dangerous left turns and cross-traffic movements.
"The safety of Georgia's road users is always our top priority," GDOT said in its news release about the construction. "This project is a proactive measure to make this intersection safer and more efficient for everyone traveling through the area.
Updates Released About Road Work in Bartow, Gordon Counties
In the last week of March 2025, GDOT also provided updates on other transportation infrastructure projects in two counties within the agency's District 6, which encompasses a total of 17 counties in the northwest corner of the state.
In Bartow County, reconstruction is ongoing at the site of the intersection of U.S. 41's bridges over Ga. 293 just south of the community of Emerson.
GDOT said that crews are installing a retaining wall on the northbound roadway side in preparation to remove the northbound highway bridge. The agency expects the work to be completed in December 2025.
In addition, south of the city of Cartersville, the widening of Old Alabama Road from Ga. 113 east to Paga Mine Road is continuing, with new work including construction of all three bridges along the highway and the installation of storm drains. GDOT is projecting that contract will be concluded in June 2025.
Just north of Barrow County is Gordon County, where three more GDOT projects are either under way or scheduled to begin in the near future, including:
• The reconstruction of two Ga. Highway 136 highway bridges over the Coosawattee River, where crews are currently building the new eastbound structure. Once that is done, they will shift their attention to the demolition of the westbound bridge and shift traffic in both directions to the eastbound bridge. The entire project is slated to be done sometime in December 2025.
• Construction of another RCUT will begin soon, according to GDOT, on Ga. 53 at Brownlee Road/Plainville Road, with the work tentatively planned to end in March 2026.
• Intersection improvements also are being made at the junction of Ga. 156/Red Bud Road and U.S. 41/Wall Street near downtown Calhoun. Utility relocations are already under way in order to have the effort completed by April 2026
